Chapter 5
659 Words
Evelyn snored and turned away. "Save your breath." Her words drifted in air. The word divorce hung between them like frost in the air, severing the last thread holding them together.
She stumbled into a raucous dive bar.
Music thundered through the speakers, loud enough to drown thought, and strobes of neon light blurred her vision. One burning shot followed another, scorching a trail down her already ravaged stomach. The physical pain was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.
"Another," she said to the bartender, raising a trembling hand.
Just as her consciousness began to fray, a commotion erupted nearby. A group of rough-looking men surrounded a girl in a frilly dress, their hands wandering where they didn’t belong. Evelyn squinted through the haze. Iris.
What was she doing here?
Seeing the panic in Iris’s eyes, Evelyn pushed herself off the bar stool. A stabbing pain twisted through her gut, nearly buckling her knees, but she forced herself forward. Her voice came out raw. "Let her go."
The men turned, lecherous grins curling their lips.
Iris shot Evelyn a look of pure venom.
When Evelyn reached for her arm, Iris shoved her hard, right toward the men. "Stay out of it!"
Evelyn stumbled, caught off guard. The sudden movement sent a wave of cold sweat down her back as her stomach seized in agony. But muscle memory from years of childhood taekwondo took over. She pivoted, blocked a grab, and dropped two men to the floor.
The moment she lowered her guard, a bottle swung from behind.
"f*****g b***h!"
Smash! Glass shattered against the back of Evelyn’s skull.
Blood, warm and slick, trickled down her neck. The world tilted. Before darkness swallowed her whole, she caught a glimpse of Iris fleeing toward the restroom.
Ten minutes later, the bar door slammed open.
Aiden strode in, his tailored suit absurdly out of place among the grime and neon. His gaze swept the room and landed on Evelyn’s crumpled form, though with her face masked in blood, he didn’t seem to recognize her. He faltered for just a moment, almost stepping forward.
Then Iris emerged from the restroom in tears and collapsed into his arms. "Aiden," she sobbed, voice trembling. "I was so scared…"
Aiden pulled his gaze away and wrapped his arms around her. "You’re safe now," he murmured, his voice softening even as his eyes flickered, almost involuntarily, toward the woman bleeding on the floor.
Evelyn’s fingers twitched weakly against the grimy tiles. She was fighting her way back to consciousness.
But Aiden had already looked away. He lifted Iris into his arms. "Let’s get you to the hospital."
As he walked past Evelyn, the hem of his trousers brushed against her bloodied fingers, and kept going.
A stranger, kind and nameless, got her to the hospital.
When Evelyn woke, she found herself in the bed next to Iris’s.
The curtain between them hung slightly open. Through the gap, she could see Aiden sitting at Iris’s bedside, the girl clinging to him, weeping softly.
"Those men…" Iris whimpered. "I was so scared…"
"You’re safe now," Aiden whispered, gently rubbing her back. Then, after a pause: "How did you get away? Did someone help you?"
Iris hesitated. Between hiccuping sobs, she murmured, "No one helped me… I was just lucky."
Evelyn lay perfectly still. The wound at the back of her head throbbed in rhythm with her pulse.
So that’s it, she thought. I risked my life, and all I get is "no one helped me."
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and opened w******p. Her fingers moved mechanically as she typed a message to Aiden.
Evelyn: 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow. Meet me at the Civil Council.
After hitting send, she let out a long, quiet breath.
This time, she was finally ready to let go.
Of two decades of unrequited love. Of a marriage built on pity. Of him.
- Writer
